Stove and furnace.



No, 847,351- PATENTED MAR.19 1907.

R. A. MAY.

s'rovn AND FURNACE.

APPLIQATION TILED JULY 20, 1905.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATBNTED MAR. 19, 1907. RI Al STOVE AND FURNACE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 20, 1005.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

cu., WASHINGTON, n. c.

RUDOLF A. MAY, OF AKRON, OHIO.

STOVE AND FURNACE- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907. v

' Application filed July 20, 1905. Serial No. 270,544.

To all, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUDOLF A. MAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Stoves and Furnaces, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention has relation to the construction of combustion devices forstoves and furnaces; and the object of my invention is to provide a newand improved means for causing as nearly as possible the perfect andeconomical consumption of fuel therein, which will possess all theordinary advantages of a direct draft to and through the fuel beingconsumed, as well as the additional advantage of supplying to the fuelan evenly-distributed and readily-regulated amount of oxygen.

The invention further aims to provide a suitable device for effectuallyburning the supply of fuel contained in the combustionchamber from theoutside thereof, which will be relatively simple, cheap, durable, andreadily placed in position, and which will in no wise interfere with theordinary operation of the stove or furnace.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists ofthe novel construction, combination, and arrangement of partsconstituting the device to be hereinafter referred to and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, inwhich is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention; but it is tobe understood that changes, variations, and modifications can beresorted to which come within the scope of the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote correspondingparts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a central verticalsection of a combustion device, showing a portion of the fire-pot andash-pit operated in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is an inverted planview of a portion of the grate of the device. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofmy device, by which oxygen is supplied to the sides of the burning fuel;and Fig. 4 is a section of Fig. 1 at the line X.

In the drawings, 1 is the ash-pit of my device, which in generalconformation is of the ordinary type used in furnaces, and it Will behere stated that the description for the purpose of illustrating thisinvention will be confined to furnaces, although the device is equallyappropriate with very slight modifications to stoves. This ash-pit 1 hasan integral inlet 2 and is provided at the top with a circular opening,around which is an inwardly-extending annular flange 3 integral with thebody of the ash-pit, and this flange 3 is further provided With aconcentric beadmg 4.

Mounted upon the flange 3 of the ash-pit and within the confines of theheading 4 is the fire-pot 5. This fire-pot 5 may be cylindrical orupwardly and outwardly flaring or shaped in the form of a frustum of acone, or any other shape may be imparted thereto which best suits therequirements to which the device is to be put.

Attached, preferably by bolts 6, to the flange 3 of the ash-pit is aring 7, preferably L-shaped in crosssection, which when in position, asshown in Fig. 1, will constitute, in connection with the side walls andflange 3 of the ash-pit, an annular air-duct. The vertical portions ofthis L-shaped ring 7 contain at intervals openings or slots 8, by whichair is permitted to enter the interior of the combustion chamber. At thepoint where this annular air-duct crosses the inlet 2 there is provideda rear vertically-extend ing partition 9, conforming in contour andintegral with the main body of the ring 7, which serves to close therear of the annular duct from open communication with the interior ofthe inlet 2.

At some preferred place in the side wall of the ash-pit 1 is placed aninlet-pipe 10, the interior of which is in open communication with theinterior of the duct formed by the ring 7, and this inlet-pipe 1.0 isclosed by an ordinary door 11, the construction of which is immaterialto this invention and which may be of any desired or preferred type.

It will be obvious from this description that air admitted through thepipe 10 will circulate freely in the duct formed by the side wall, theannular flange 3 of the ash-pit, and the L-shaped ring 7, and fromthence will pass, by means of the openings 8, into thecombustion-chamber, and from thence to the fuel therein.

In order to sustain the fuel to be consumed in immediate proximity tothe supply of oxygen from the openings 8, inwardly-projecting arms 12are employed, the ends of which extend into the opening inclosed by thering 7, and these arms 12 are preferably integral with the ring 7. InFig. 3 three of these arms 12 are shown; but the number may be changedsufficiently to sustain the mechanism to be hereinafter described.Arranged to be temporarily sustained by these arms 12 is a basket 13,consisting, preferably, of a conically-formed annulus, the upperportions of which are provided with a series of radial slots 14, therebyconstituting between them a plurality of teeth or fingers 15. Thisbasket 13 is provided on its lower .outer side with a rabbet 16, intowhich the arms 12 are arranged to engage and temporarily sustain thebasket and the fuel which may be contained thereon. From the lowerportion of this basket 13 extends a series of lugs or fingers 17,preferably arranged in pairs, as shown in Fig. 2, for a purpose to bestated. It is arranged to close the opening surrounded by theannularly-formed basket 13 with a grate 18. This grate (shown best inFig. 4) consists of a body portion preferably provided with a series ofperforations or slots 19 and having on its outside edge a series of lugsor fingers 20 and further provided on its under central portion with adepending pin 21. This grate 18 is sustained y a tripodal structure,consisting of rearwardly-extending legs 22 and 23 and a forwardlyextending leg 24, all preferably formed integral with each other anduniting at the center into a socket 25, through which is a verticalperforation in which the pin 21 of the grate is arranged to enter andthe grate be thereby sustained.

The leg 22 is provided on its outer end with a pin which enters anopening in a lug 26, formed in the inner face of the side wall of theash-pit 1, and the leg 23 is also provided with a pin at its outer end,which enters a semicircularly-formed lug 27, also attached to the innerface of the ash-pit and oppositely disposed with respect to the positionof the lug 26, and the legs 22 and 23 are thereby sustained pivotally inposition.

Projecting laterally from the outer free end of the arm 24 is a pin 28,which engages in a slot 29 in the outer end of a rocking member I 30.This rocking member 30 is pivoted on a pin 31, attached to one of theside walls of the inlet 2 of the ash-pit, and it is further provided atits opposite end with a socket portion 32, in which is inserted a bar bywhich it may be conveniently actuated. A pin or catch 33 is attached tothe side wall of the ash-pit to retain the socket end 32 of the member30 at the bottom of its downward movement, and thereby maintain theslotted end of the member 30 in an upright position,

which also sustains the leg 24 of the tripodal structure on which thegrate 18 is mounted. The grate 18 is capable of being rotated on the pin21, which has been before described as being journaled in theperforation in the socket portion 25.

In order to cause the rotation of the grate 18, a rod 34 is suitablyconnected with one.

side of the grate, and it is further provided at its outer end with ahandle for convenience in operation. This rod 34 is generally carriedout through the inlet 2 of the ash-pit and may be suitably supported atits outer end; but as this is an ordinary construction the support forthe rod 34 is not shown, as it is believed to be unnecessary for thecomplete understanding of this invention.

The operation of this device is as follows: The members being in theposition shown in Fig. 1, a suitable supply of fuel is placed upon thegrate 18 and basket 13, and the same is ignited in the ordinary way. Inorder to aid the combustion of the fuel thus sustained, the gate 11isopened and air is permitted to circulate through the duct formed bythe ring 7, and it asses therefrom through the openings 8 to t e outerportions of the mass of burning fuel. When it is desired to remove ashesor clinkers from the fuel, a bar is inserted in the socket portion 32 ofthe member 30 and the catch 33 released, allowing the slotted end of themember 30 to swing downward, carrying with it the tripodal structurewhich supports the grate 18 until the slotted end. of the member 30encounters the floor of the ash-pit. When this has been done, the grateand its supporting mechanism will assume the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1. Access may then be had to the bottom of the fuelthrough the o ening inclosed by the annularly-formed bas et 13. It willbe here stated that by reason of the coking and matting together of thefuel while being consumed it will be readily sustained by the basket 13and unless roughly attacked from below will not fall through the openingtherein. At the time the grate 18 is lowered its forward end is tippeddown sufiiciently so that a person, with the aid of a suitable tool, canremove therefrom all ashes and clinker which may exist thereon.- Whenthis has been properly done, the socket end 32 of the member 30 isdepressed by means of the bar inserted therein and the grate raised tothe position shown in Fig. 1. This grate 18 and basket 13 are soarranged with respect to each other that when the grate 18 is raised thefingers 20 on the outer eriphery of the grate 18 will interlock with thelugs 17 on the bottom face of the annularly-formed basket 13 and thegrate 18 will raise the basket 13 a slight distance from engagement withthe inwardly-extending arms 12, on which it is temorarily sustainedwhile the grate 18 is being owered, as before described. This raising ofthe basket 13 from engagement with the arms 12 practically causes thebasket 13 and grate 18 tobecome a unitary article, and the interlockingof the fingers 20 on the outer edge of the grate 18 with the de endinglugs 17 on the basket 13 will cause t e two to revolve in unison whenthe rod 34 is employed.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that at the same time thegrate 18 is lowered, as has been already described, the basket 13 willbe lowered sufficiently to rest on and be sustained by the arms 12 untilthe return of the grate to its former position, and yet when raised bythe grate 18 the basket 13 may be revolved in connection therewith.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with the ash-pit of a stove or furnace provided with anopening for establishing communication between the ash-pit and afire-pot, of a flange surrounding said opening, a perforated detachablemember positioned within the ash-pit and forming in connection with theouter side wall and the flange of the ash-pit an air-passage surroundingthe grate of the stove or furnace, said member having inwardly-extendingprotuberances for supporting a grate-section, and means for connectingsaid member to said flange.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

. RUDOLF A. MAY. Witnesses:

O. E. HUMPHREY, GLENARA FOX.

